EMAIL THIS PAGE

Ahead of the Curve
AU's Chanel Spriggs excels both on and off the court

January 17, 2003

Junior co-captain Chanel Spriggs

WASHINGTON — In her second season at American, junior guard Chanel Spriggs (Sunderland, Md./Northern) has become one of the top defensive players in the Patriot League while also showing her prowess as an offensive player.

Spriggs transferred to AU from St. Mary’s in Maryland. The move turned out to be beneficial both on and off the court. Named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll last season, Spriggs is on pace to graduate this year and intends to pursue her master’s in communications.

"Financially, transferring really helped my family,” Spriggs said. “AU has a reputation as a good school academically and athletically. Also, American is well-known for my major, communications.”

Spriggs kept her opponents on their toes last season, registering 110 steals while setting a new AU single-season mark. She surpassed Karen Jenkins’ previous record of 84 steals during the 1992-93 season while leading the Patriot League in the category. Spriggs’ 4.2 steals per game received national recognition as she was third in the nation in 2001-02. Spriggs is currently 10th on the AU career list for steals and will be within striking distance of Jody Thornton’s career record of 244 by the end of the year..

"Getting steals is all about reading the rhythm of the ball and their body position,” Spriggs commented. “You have to keep your head in front of the ball and you can make the offense nervous. If you do it right, you can make the offense give you the ball.”

One of Spriggs’ finest games in 2001-02 came against Georgetown in Bender Arena. She tied the single-game record for steals at AU with nine and nearly had a triple-double, posting 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Spriggs posted a season-high of 21 points against Georgia State as she was named to the Loyola Holida Classic All-Tournament Team.

Earlier this season, Spriggs netted back-to-back games of over 20 points. The Eagle co-captain scored a career-high 29 points against Florida Atlantic to earn a spot on the MU Classic All-Tournament team. She also had seven steals against the Owls. Spriggs followed that performance up with a 26 point outing in the home opener against William & Mary.

Spriggs has also had a strong season rebounding for the Eagles. Even though she is only 5-7, Spriggs is one of the top rebounders at AU. She set a career-high with 13 rebounds at home against Towson. Spriggs has been very effective on the offensive boards, grabbing five rebounds on the offensive end against Towson and Eastern Michigan.

"I want our team to lead the Patriot League in rebounding this season,” Spriggs said. "It’s all about wanting the ball more than the other team.”

Despite losing only one starter from last year’s squad, the Eagles were picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League, a fact that does not sit well with Spriggs.

"The ultimate goal for anyone’s program is to win the conference,” Spriggs said. “We want to gain respect in the league as well as on campus here at AU.”

With Spriggs leading the team both offensively and defensively, the Eagles intend to contend for the Patriot League title in 2003.